I'll Be There
by MusicLoveDream
Summary: Red wasn't joking when he said he'll be there for Lizzie if she ever needed him. It's obvious he would do anything for her, but would she do the same for him? Post finale! Father/Daughter realationship
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first Blacklist fanfic so bear with me. I've been watching since the beginning and once I saw the finale, I literally died. My mom called me dramatic but she has no idea lol. Ok I'm gonna stop rambling and move on. Love ya!**

**P.S. FATHER/ DAUGHTER SHIPPING! I know the dialogue from the ending is waaaayyyy off but I'm editing it this weekend so everything will be better, and I'm writing the new chapter soooo...**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of the Blacklist or its characters. If I did, I would know what's going to happen next...and you would get a sneak peek lol**

**_I'll Be There_**  
**_Chapter 1_**

"No matter where I am, I'll be there if you need me."

As Liz heard the words coming for the receiver, she couldn't help but ask if her thoughts were true.

"Are you my father?"

"Be careful, Lizzie." The line went dead.

Lizzie. The only person who really called her Lizzie was Tom. She'd told Red from the beginning that it was Agent Keen to him. But he refused. Lizzie is all he called her...

"Will you really be there?" She whispered to herself.

"What did you say, honey?" Tom said from behind her. She blinked away the tears forming in her eyes and turned to her husband with a false smile.

"Nothing. Hey, why don't we just finish this last box and go out. Go out to the movies or something. I just... I just want to he my mind out of work now," she said. He stared at her for a quick second before answering and smiled.

"Perfect. I'll finish up here and you go clean yourself up. Dinner and a movie tonight." She felt a surge of appreciation for Tom. She didn't know where she would be without him. Yeah, things have gone a little out of whack these past couple months, but they're getting through it.  
As Lizzie walked up to her room to shower and change, she thought of all the places Red might be. Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Miami...somewhere big. Somewhere with a lot of people. Somewhere where you can blend in and not get caught. She sighed, gathered her things, and went to the bathroom. Determination surged through her as she decided to find him and get the answers she needed.

* * *

He walked through the streets of Downtown Manhattan, New York. He passed the stores full of cloths, toys, and food. Business men and women speed walking through the streets, talking money and business through their phones. Teenagers talking about that new boy in their math class. Mothers with children in their grasps'.

Memories flooded his mind as he thought of that. How he held his baby girl for the first time all those years ago. How, even in the shadows, he watched he learn and grow into the beautiful and smart woman she is today. He watched her first heartbreak in high school. He watched he lose her close friend to a fire her junior year. He watched her walk across a stage and receive her diploma. He saw her go through the vigorous training for the FBI. He saw it all.

But Red couldn't tell her any of that. He couldn't say how proud he was of her. He wanted to brag about his baby girl. He wanted to show her off, be there for her and protect her from demons. His demons. That's all he could do. That's why she can't know he's her real father.

Upon arriving at his apartment in the city, he up wrapped himself from the confines of his jacket and let tears fall from his eyes.

He'd come so close to losing her. How many more times would this happen if she knew the truth. God forbid the rest of the damn world. Might as well sign his and her death certificate.

The crash of thunder and lightning outside made him jump.

"Damn weather," he muttered. He looked out the window, watching the scene in front of him. Raymond felt trapped. Like the world was turning against him. Even the chance he had to be with his daughter again was compromised. He felt like he was getting closer to her. Slowly but surely; when she opened up to him a bit after Sam died, he thought he really had a chance with Lizzie. Damn you, Aslo, he thought. Reddington smirked at the thought of Aslo dead on the floor of the church.

At that moment, his phone rang.

"Rivera Auto shop," he said, disguising his voice lighter and accented.

"Raymond," said the female voice on the other end. He let go of the breath he was holding.

"Selena! How are you?" He asked politely. She chuckled.

"Good, just as I told you 2 hours ago. I have what you need. I drove by earlier and saw her packing up a box by the window."

Red's mouth turned to a frown. This is all because of him.

"In other words, she's moving." It wasn't a question.

"It seems so. But she looks like she fine. I'll make sure Dembe is around at all times." He thought for a moment.

"It doesn't seem like the brightest idea to keep Dembe around. Lizzie knows who he is, she knows what he looks like." Selena sighed.

"True, but you even said so yourself, he and I are the only people you could trust around her. That decision is up to you, Red." It was Red's turn to sigh.

"I suppose you're right. Just...just make sure nothing happens to her. Especially with Tom. I still don't trust him. They may have erased his memory but I don't want to take a risk."

"Then it's settled. I will call you if anything, okay? Everything is going to be okay." He closed his eyes and sighed in defeat.

"I wish those words were truly comforting. Thank you...goodnight, Selena."

"Night, Red." The dial tone rang through his ears, signaling she hung up. Now he could do nothing more but sit in the shadows and pray he doesn't get any frightening calls from Selena.

* * *

"What movie do you want to see?" Tom asked. Lizzie looked up at the sign that showed all the movies showing and their times.

"How about Catching Fire?" She said. He nodded and asked the ticket person at the window for two tickets to Catching Fire.

During the middle of the movie, Liz excused herself.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom, I'll be back." Tom nodded. As she walked out of the theater and down the hall, she got an eerie feeling. She felt a presence around her, following her around. Liz quickened her pace and went inside the bathroom.

"Just breathe, Liz. Breathe." She stood in front of the mirror hung above a sink. Liz saw a tired woman staring back at her. Not tired as in sleepy tired. Tired as in annoyed. Annoyed that she wasn't getting the answers she wanted. _Needed_.

Lizzie took a deep breath and walked back out of the restroom. She spotted a familiar face 50 feet away. They walk towards each other. He opened his mouth to speak but she shook her head.

"Just be careful," she said. Dembe looked at her, a flash of understanding ran through his eyes. They nodded to each other in farewell and went their separate ways. She understood what Red was doing. Dembe was to help keep an eye on her. Whether he was her father or not, he cared about her and wanted to keep her safe.

A?N: It's Really short but this is only the beginning. Its to give you a taste of the story! Let me know what you guys think!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So I read a few reviews yesterday and I'm glad you guys like the story. I felt like we all needed something to help us with the time of withdrawal until January. Hope you guys like this one! Love ya!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Blacklist or any characters from the show. I just play in the sandbox.**

_**I'll Be There**_  
_**Chapter 2**_

When Lizzie's alarm clock went off the next morning, she felt disoriented. _What time is it?_ She wondered. She looked at the alarm clock on her night stand. 10:40 am. She sighed. At least she didn't have to work today, it is Saturday after all.

Liz turned over to looked at Tom and noticed he wasn't there. She sat up.

"Tom?" She asked from her spot on the bed. She heard footsteps up coming up the stairs. Liz stood up from the bed. Just as she was going to go find her off duty gun, Tom stepped through the door of their room with a tray of food and a single rose in a slender vase. He gave her a gentle smile.

"Hope you don't mind breakfast in bed. I figured it's the best way to start our weekend." She smiled at him, walked over to him, and pecked his cheek.

"Always the thoughtful one. Thank you," she said. Liz paused.

"What do you mean start our weekend?" He set the tray on the nightstand.

"How about a little getaway? I was thinking we could take a drive to New York. It's only five hours from here, by car. We could go see the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center, go ice skating, do a little shopping. I hear New York looks nice around the holidays. Plus, I kind of already planned the trip." He pulled away from her grasp and pulled and envelope from his back pocket. He handed it to her.

"What's inside?" she asked. Tom shrugged with a mischievous smirk on his face.

"I don't know, you'll have to open it up and see. Liz shook her head at him and smirked. She tore open the top of the envelope only to find two tickets to a Broadway show. Her face lit up.

"We're going to go see Wicked?!" She exclaimed, jumping into his arms. He laughed and held onto his wife, kissing her lips.

"You did say a few months ago you wanted to see the show. I completely forgot about it until that whole... _thing_ happened a few weeks back. I just thought that I would want to give you this. After coming out of the hospital, I realized how lucky I am to be alive. Who knows what could have happened if you never showed up when you did." Lizzie gave him a tearful grimace.

"I love you, you know that right?" She whispered to him.

"Not as much as I love you," he said before bringing his lips down to hers. She snaked her arms around his neck and mirrored her by putting his around her waist. He pulled away and sat her on the bed.

"Now eat up. once you're done, shower and change. Our bags is packed and in the car. We've got a long drive ahead of us." Liz beamed at her husband.

"Did I ever tell you how amazing you are?" Tom smirked.

"Once or twice," he said. She pushed him gently with her foot.

"Leave. I need to shower and change." He laughed.

"You're acting like I never saw you naked before!" She rolled her eyes and walked out the room to the bathroom.

"Does that mean I can't join you?" He called after her.

"Only if you're here in less than five seconds!" She called back. He pulled off his shirt, leaving it on the floor to go after his wife.

* * *

_Ring Ring Ring!_

Raymond Reddington groaned to the sound of his cellphone ringing, waking him up from his deep slumber. He pulled himself into a sitting position and answered the phone.

"CVS Pharmacy. How may I help you?"

"Red." He attention was on full blast.

"What's wrong? Has anything happened? Who do I have to kill?" He fired. The voice on the other end laughed.

"Nothing. No. And no one. Everything is fine. I called to check up on you." He groaned.

"Selena, I told you, I'm fine. No need to call me up every two second like I'm a child."

"Don't ever say no one care about you," she huffed. Reddington flinched. There's only one person he wants to care about him the way Selena does. But since he's pulled himself out of society yet again, there's no chance of that.

"Raymond?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you really okay?" There was a pause. He sighed in defeat.

"Why would I be, Selena? I mean, first my daughter is FBI, which gives me the biggest chance I could get to be back in her life again, then this asshole Aslo come barging in to the building to kill me. In the middle of it all, he finds my daughter and holds her at gun point in order to get to me. I'm putting her life in danger because of my decision. I guess I didn't think anything through." Selena stood silent for a moment.

"Raymond, you did what you had to do to be there for your little girl. You tried to protect her as of young by leaving and now you're trying to make her famous as an FBI agent by handing in all these people. Your only doing what you thought was right as her father. I would kill to get my father to do that same thing for me. No one would blame you; at least I wouldn't." He smiled sadly.

"It's just hard. " After a moment he groaned.

"Damn you, Selena." Selena laughed.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you're the one person that bring this side out of me. You're a researcher, not my damn therapist." He could hear her roll her eyes.

"Whatever you say, Red." He chuckled and shook his head.

"I've got to go. I'll call you if anything. Stay safe, Red," Selena said to him.

"Always am. Talk to you later." And he hung up. Placing the phone back on the night stand, he dragged his hand down his face, as if to wipe frustration away from his mind and body. Red tossed his blanket off of his body and got out of bed. _Sometimes I wish I wasn't a criminal. I wish I was just any Joe Schmoe who didn't have to leave his family behind. If I wasn't this... demon, maybe I would have to try so hard to be in my__ daughter's life without her knowing I'm her real father._ _I can't sit down with her and have Christmas dinner or talk to her without having a work related reason. I'm just so done with all of this. _

* * *

At around 5 in the afternoon, Tom and Liz made it to the Big Apple. They first checked into their hotel in Manhattan and then decided to be tourists and visit Times Square. They walked hand in hand, passing the M&Ms store, the Disney store, Colony Music Store. Many people were snapping picture and pointing at all the bright billboards mounted on the walls of the buildings. They passed a jewelry store and Tom stopped them in their tracks.

"How about we take a little trip inside?" He asked, looking at Lizzie. She glanced at him. _What in the world does this man have up his sleeve? _She wondered.

"Your the captain of the trip, you decide," she said winking at him. Tom chuckled and pulled her into the store.

"Hello, I'm Robert. How many I help the lovely couple today?" The clerk asked as they neared the glass counter.

"I was thinking something nice and simple. Like a necklace for my wife."

"I know just the thing!" Robert moved to get something from behind the counter. He pulled up a little box and placed it on the counter.

"I believe this one will do you justice, Miss. Simple and beautiful, like you," he said, smiling gently at her. Liz grabbed the box in hand and slowly lifted the lid. She gasp when she saw it.

"It's beautiful," she whispered in awe. The men chuckled.

"Why don't you come to the back with me, sir, so you can pay for everything." Tom nodded to the man. Lizzie didn't notice the look Tom and Robert gave each other. Tom pecked her cheek and followed Robert to the back. Lizzie's phone went off in her back pocket. She took it out and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Lizzie."

She sighed. "Please don't play games with me."

"I need to know something, What made you think I was your father?" She hesitated when she saw Tom coming out from the back room.

"Can we talk later? I'm out with Tom right now."

"Yes, we can. Around midnight I'll call you. Have a wonderful time out with Tom."

"Wait, Red. I -" He hung up on her. She stared at her phone in frustration.

"Is everything okay?"Tom asked, slipping an arm around her waist and guiding them out of the store. She gave him a false smile.

"Nothing, babe."

Later that night when Tom was asleep, Liz sneaked out of bed and slipped on her slippers. Grabbing the room key and phone, she glided out the door and made her way to the lobby. The lobby was practically deserted, for the exception of a few people checking in late and the employees at the front deck. Liz took a seat in a chair the was placed by a decent sized fish tank. She glanced at her phone. _Eleven fifty-five at night, he'll be calling within the next few minutes, _she thought. It felt as though she was waiting for hours instead of minutes waiting for Raymond Reddington to call her cell phone again. As if like clock work, at exactly midnight, an unknown number made her phone go off in a vibrating frenzy. _Just breathe, Liz. Nothing to be nervous about._ She tapped accept on her iPhone screen and held the device to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Lizzie. How are you?" She swallowed.

"I'm well. What about you? How are you doing?" She asked. He chuckled a bit.

"I'm doing okay. But that's not the question you wanted to ask now is it|?" Liz's face burned crimson under her skin.

"Not exactly... Where exactly are you?"

"Only yes or no questions, darling."

"Why only yes or no?" Red sighed on the other end.

"You're lucky I'm even offering you that, Lizzie." She didn't say anything for a moment.

"Okay. Are you in the U.S?"

"Yes."

"Are you safe, unharmed?"

"Yes."

"Do you know who my father is?" Red sighed on the other end.

"Yes...which brings me to my previous question from earlier, what's make you think or wonder if I was your father?" There was a moment of silence.

"The way you try and protect me from everything, you put yourself in front of a gun for me and then when Also Garrick showed face, you have yourself up so quickly."

"I just didn't want anyone else to have to dies on my behalf." Liz scoffed.

"Youve been a cold hearted criminal for 20 years, killing anyone you have to without a second glance. Now all of a sudden you care about who dies on your behalf? Give me a break!" Red tried very have no to be affected by her verbal attack by it was something he couldn't stop. This was coming from his daughter. The only person have loves more than his own life. But of course she doesn't know that.

"Lizzie, nowadays I do things for a reason. I can't tell you why, though." She sighed.

"Of course you can't...look I've got to go. Keep tight and stay safe, okay?" His heart filled with joy at those words coming from her.

"I will. Goodnight, Elizabeth."

"Goodnight." And she hung up. She never heard the soft words whispered at the end, _I love you._

_A/N: Hey guys! Hope you like it. Comment and tell me what you think! Oh, and check out the poll on my profile for this story. Thanks, love ya!_


End file.
